Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Over $3.5 Million in Federal Funds for Homeless Alliance of Western New York

Funding Will Be Used to Reduce Youth Homelessness

Washington, DC – U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $3,592,570 in federal funding for the Homeless Alliance of Western New York. The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) and will be used to expand access to affordable housing options for youth aged 24 and younger in Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming Counties.

“One homeless child is one too many, and we must do everything we can to help provide those truly in need with a place to live,”said Senator Schumer.“With this significant federal investment, the Homeless Alliance of Western New York will be able to make a real dent in youth homelessness across the region. I’m proud to announce this federal funding and will always fight tooth and nail for resources that help keep the children and young adults of Upstate New York off the streets.”

“It is a tragedy that some of our children and young adults do not have a safe place to call home,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Access to safe and reliable housing is absolutely essential for the health of our youth, and this federal funding will help the Homeless Alliance of Western New York provide critical services to young adults who are facing homelessness. I will continue fighting to ensure that our communities have the resources they need to combat homelessness.”

The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) aims to use a coordinated community approach to reduce youth homelessness. The program serves youth aged 24 and younger, unaccompanied youth, and pregnant or parenting youth. It has five goals: build a national movement to end youth homelessness, assess the coordinated community approach in mitigating youth homelessness, increase capacity of community partners to serve youth experiencing homelessness, evaluate different metrics of youth homelessness, and form relationships between federal, state, and local stakeholders to prevent and end youth homelessness.